


When You Fall And Everything Else Falls With You

by CryoSynth



Category: Hyper Light Drifter
Genre: Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Drifter Uses He/Him, Gen, Guardian Uses They/Them, Heavy Angst, I Want To Hug My Sick Children, I don't know, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Going to Hell, I'm Sorry, Minor Injuries, My First Work in This Fandom, Not Beta Read, One Shot, Possible Character Study, Serious Injuries, Terminal Illnesses, WILL BE EDITED AT LATER DATE, West Zone, What-If, parental guardian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-02 07:55:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11505000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CryoSynth/pseuds/CryoSynth
Summary: Drifter knew, when he started upon his journey that he might not make it to the end. But he did NOT expect for it to end half-way through.Now, slowly (and painfully) dying in the Crystal Forests of the West, Drifter can't help but remember his time in the Central City and the creatures living there along with his journey up to that point.His only regret: not saying "Thank you" when he had the chance.Out of all the population of Central City, he will miss Guardian the most.(Will refine this at later date cause I wanted to post it as fast as possible and I was really tired when I was finishing this)





	When You Fall And Everything Else Falls With You

**Author's Note:**

> Update 1: Fixed grammar mistakes that I haven't noticed before. Moving onto refining the ending now as it's rather lame when compared to the beggining.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Oh god. I decided to finish the game few days ago and I think it's safe to say my feels burned and crashed. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried at the end. I still want to cry tbh.
> 
> I just want to hug my sick children ;^;
> 
> Anyways, got this idea some days ago, and I just HAD to write it. I decided to finish the game first because I got more ideas but they included the end of the game.
> 
> Also, please excuse any typos. English isn't my native language and majority of this was written on my phone, so some typos might have flew under the radar.

When he became a Drifter, it was so he could travel to distant lands and learn. He did not expect to fall ill with the same sickness that ended numerous lives already.

 

 

It was then, that his purpose changed.

 

 

Not long after he fell victim to the accursed sickness, did he get those strange visions. It took him about a week to realize that the Inky Black Dog, wanted for him to follow. He followed, as It didn't give him a reason not to. He tried to ignore of how right it felt to follow it. The 'Black Dog' as he decided to call it, took him on quite the long and difficult journey. It was only when it led him to the sea, did he realize that it was leading him to what the Drifters of his kin called Central City.

 

 

He heard the rumors, of how the townsfolk treated his kin. He decided quickly to not think about it, lest he attack an innocent. He travelled almost three days across the sea.

 

 

He was glad he got to the shore before the storm started.

 

 

He decided to take shelter below an old moss covered statue to rest before continuing on his 'journey'. He refused to call it a quest. After about two days, the storm lessened to the point where he could travel safely again. He tried not to think about what he saw while he slept.

The only warning he got after standing up, was the slight itching in his throat before it tightened uncomfortably. The blood soon followed. When the fit subsided, there was a small puddle of fuchsia blood beneath him for a few seconds, before it turned to the black smoke as it always did, and left him with his throat feeling raw, and lungs that felt like someone set them on fire.

He pushed forward, like he always did after the fits. There was no time to lose. He could feel that his lungs were slowly shriveling up, and failing.

He used the failing capability of his lungs, and the fact that some families might have children with the same illness that he had -and many others, but that fact didn't properly sink in yet- as some sort of morbid motivator to keep going.

 

 

It was almost the only thing that kept him going, and following the Black Dog.

 

 

He followed the only path that was there, while also looking around. It was very different from the land he grew up in. They didn't have as much technology as they did here.

When he came across the enemies, he couldn't help the revulsion that crawled across his spine. Their green skin looking like mockery of his blue skin, which caused him to fly into rage so mighty, it got him almost killed.

He calmed down once he heard his Companion Bot beeping at him to use a med injection. Suddenly, he was glad that all bots were programmed to alert their Drifters of med crates, because he would have passed almost all of them in his wonder at the place.

He went through the familiar motion almost absentmindedly while staring at the corpses of his enemies. They still filled him with immense anger and loathing, but he pushed that to the deepest and darkest part of his mind. He didn't want to fly into rage again and get himself killed so early.

 

 

 

When he got to the lift, he was calm again. He only hoped, that his calm could last. He somehow felt, that once he got to the Central City he would be angry once more. He prayed that his nerves would prevent him from attacking the townsfolk.

He didn't make it far from the lift before he got another fit. This time, it was so severe he could feel his consciousness fading. Before he passed out however, he heard footsteps approaching.

 

 

When he regained consciousness, it took him a while to realize he was still in the same spot he passed out in, while also being quite warm, despite the chilly air. Once he realized someone made fire near him and was tending to it, he passed out again.

When he awoke once again, he quickly realized he was in a bed. It took him a few seconds before his muddled brain registered the sounds of someone looking or putting something away. He heard them walking away, before sleep claimed him again.

When he awoke for the final time, he realized he didn't have his cloak, helmet, sword and shoes on, while feeling -and hearing- his companion bot beeping quietly away in the crook of his neck.

When he sat up, his bot started flying around his head while beeping quite cheerfully but still quietly. No matter how many times his bot did that, it never ceased to amaze him of the level of consciousness the bots had.

 

 

After he calmed his bot down, he decided to look around. The first thing he noticed was his gear put away neatly, close to the bed. He decided to dress first and then look around later because he was already starting to feel nervous without his cloak and helmet on. For whatever reason, he always felt nervous and exposed without layers of clothing covering his blue skin.

 

 

Just as he finished putting on his shoes the door opened. He stood up swiftly while looking rather anxiously in the direction of the footsteps, as they were getting closer in his direction.

When he saw them, he realized that it must have been them who brought him here. He could faintly remember seeing them from the corner of his eye when he briefly woke up in the bed.

 

 

When they looked up from what he guessed was a map, their eyes widened while almost dropping what they were holding. He couldn't help but observe them with his coal eyes, which he knew unnerved a lot of people. While his kin had coal eyes, majority had noticeable -well, to their own kinsmen- difference between the eye and pupil, but his didn't. It was quite rare that it happened, along with noticeably different shade of skin.

He always was grateful he was born with just different eyes. It made him shudder every time he remembered what the other kids did to those that had different eyes and different shade of skin. He greatly respected adults that had those differences. Not many made it past their teenage years. And he idolized the elders. They were often smart and gave great advice. It also shoved they were really strong and smart to live so long.

 

 

He was broken from his thoughts by them speaking up. "You're awake. I didn't expect for you to wake for at least few more hours"

If he could, he would have chuckled at that. He always woke earlier than expected, but it's not like they could have known that. He couldn't help the raspy -and wheezy- chuckle, which sent him into a mini coughing fit due to the action irritating his scarred throat.

They took a step forward while raising a hand as if to help him, but he stopped them. He didn't like being touched unless necessary. After he calmed down and straightened back up, they asked "Are you alright?" they looked awfully alarmed and concerned, making him uncomfortable. He couldn't remember the last time someone was concerned for him. He nodded once.

 

 

"Very well." he could see that they were doubtful, but they choose to believe him for now. "Introductions are in order. I'm the Guardian of Central City. At least that's what the townsfolk call me. Along with just Guardian." they looked quite amused at that fact. He signaled for his bot to come forward. It said only one word in it's robotic voice. "Drifter"

He couldn't help but tense when Guardian looked at him sharply in suspicion. He knew why. Other drifters were the same. They all thought he was lazy or so arrogant he thought it beneath him to speak to others. But that was not the case. They seem to forget that serious injuries may happen. And will happen at one point. Some drifters are still active even with missing limbs. He got rather lucky that one time that it was just his ability to speak that was lost and not his entire head.

 

 

He couldn't help but flinch and hide his face more in his cloak when Guardian spoke. "And pray tell, why are you using your Companion Bot to speak, instead of speaking yourself?" He could hear the silent 'you arrogant piece of carcass' which honestly frustrated him more that it normally did. But he knew why. He was getting sick of other drifters judging him based solely on that.

He was brought back to the situation by Guardian speaking once more, but this time in a colder voice. "Well? Have you got anything to say?" he tried to choke down a noise of frustration, but he failed. He couldn't' stop the glare as he yanked down his cloak and shirt from his neck to reveal the scar. It still looked pretty fresh even though it was years old at this point. He couldn't help but feel a spark of satisfaction as they flinched and deflated at the sight of his scar. "Ah... I.... " they cleared their throat nervously while looking away from his scar. "I'm sorry. I should have asked why first"

He waved his hand as if to say 'it doesn't matter' while tilting his head to the side while pointing to them and then to himself. He only hoped they got what he was asking. They looked quite confused before understanding slowly appeared in their eyes. "Ah, yes. It was me who brought you here. Couldn't leave you out there to get killed." They sounded.... quite sad at the mention of leaving him to get killed. He wondered if they made that mistake long time ago or if someone close to them died. He had a suspicion it was the latter. But he wouldn't pry. Majority of the time death was an important part of drifters history. In some cases it shapes them into who they are now.

"Since you're awake I might as well show you around the city" he was quite surprised when his bot chimed in on it's own "that would be good" even Guardian was staring at his bot in bewilderment. He remembered that long time ago he wondered if his Companion Bot wasn't **different** from the other bots, as no other drifter wanted it. Even others have warned him about it. He ignored them. Nowadays, he was glad he decided to pick his trusty Bot, as it saved him numerous times.

He almost didn't notice Guardian putting away what he was holding. He followed, curious about what it was. He caught a glimpse of hand drawn environment before it was settled on the desk. That was all he needed to sate his curiosity for now. When they turned to him with a gentle look which made him shift around a bit, as he was unused to such kindness towards himself. "Follow me than." he followed.

 

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

He stayed for about a week in the city, talking to the few which didn't scorn him, learning all he could about this land. He didn't learn much, but it was enough. To the east was the land of water, as it was apparently built on top and under the sea. To the north were snowy mountains, rumored to be so high you could see the sea that surrounded the Central City. To the west was the Crystal Forest. He despised that place. As a kid he listened to the elders tell the tales of the past that were passed down from generation to generation. Before the land became desolate, his kin lived in the very same forests, or at least close to them. He heard the tale, about how the soldiers were sent to help the raccoons fend off the invading jackals. None of them ever came back. He could guess pretty well what happened there, and it left him with a bitter taste in his mouth. To the south was the great desert. It was nothing more than desolate sandy wasteland.

He also learned that the zones were closed off due to them being even more dangerous. He was also told that he would learn why after he visited each zone. He hated them for it, as it made his itch to explore turn into a raging wildfire.

He decided to hone his skills first before taking on the east zone. He didn't want to get killed so soon after getting here. He spent the week at the Dash Masters dash course to hone his dashing skills. He still had trouble dashing three times in a row; that was as far as he was willing to go with chain dashing, as he didn't have anyone to teach him, nor did have enough experience with dashing.

He made small talk at times with the Dash Master, as he was curious how they became to be called Dash Master, and to ask for help when he was stuck. He was pleasantly surprised when Dash Master told him they, along with the Sword Master were willing to teach drifters new skills like chain dashing and how to deflect projectiles back to where they came from. They also told him the Doctor/Herbalist could upgrade his med injector slots, the owner of the gun shop could upgrade his guns to hold more ammo, and that the 'Bomb Master' could equip him with a bomb slot, which upon the bomb being used would recall all the pieces and would recreate the bomb to be used again. He was slightly disappointed that the slot had a cooldown, but he soon realized that it took time to recall all the pieces upon large distances, put them back together, and then do whatever it was that made the bomb a bomb.

Upon his stay in the city, the Guardian let him stay at their house, claiming they rarely used it. He didn't really believe them, but accepted the offer regardless.

 

 

He left a note for Guardian when he decided to finally leave once his need to move and explore became unbearable. He left at sunrise to avoid the townsfolk, because they apparently thought he was an easy prey without Guardian there to ward them off due to his inability to speak. A group of rag-tag inhabitants once tried to corner him. They scattered rather quickly once they realized that he was no weak fool who just started drifting. Sure, he may be short and thin but he was no twig. He was a **Drifter** after all, and had been for years so he had packed on some muscles from dashing and swinging his sword for hours a day; sometimes even without a break. The only reason he was so short was because he started drifting earlier than most. All the travelling had a cost, and that cost was that sometimes you had to travel without food for days, causing for the individual to end up rather short due to lack of nutrients.

He sometimes cursed his height as he had to dash across the gaps wherein other drifters could just jump across them without much trouble. But that was small price to pay as he could dash for longer and squeeze into spaces others could not.

He was rather startled when the first robot decided to attack him. He was not expecting those, and it made his skin crawl because for whatever reason they reminded him of the **thing** that haunted his visions. No matter, they were trying to kill him and he would NOT allow that.

 

 

In the end it took him a few weeks to explore east from top to bottom. In the end he found all the modules, gear bits, keys and monoliths that were there before leaving. Before he left he told the otters hiding in the temple that the 'Toad Boss' won't bother them anymore. They thanked him profusely.

 

 

In the end, he stayed another week with the survivors, helping them. They followed him to the city.

 

 

It didn't take long for Guardian to find him upon returning.

He pretended to be annoyed by their mothering, but secretly, deep down he was glad that someone was willing to give him a chance.

He allowed for them to keep him in the city close to a month.

He spent it by learning how to chain dash, along with practicing his sword and gun skills. He also allowed for himself to try and get closer to Guardian. He was surprised how easily he became attached to them.

 

 

By the end of the month, he considered Guardian as his parental figure, while Guardian saw him as his child. They both were content with it.

 

 

He once again left at sunrise to explore the west. He only stayed a week before returning to the city. When he came back home, Guardian was waiting for him.

He stayed for two weeks. In those two weeks his fits went from minor to major. He never told.

 

 

In the end he snuck out at night to explore some more, because his itch to explore couldn't be ignored any longer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He only made it to the well hidden the deep in the Crystal Forest before his lungs started failing. He suffered from one nasty fit before he could feel his lungs constricting, causing for him to seek shelter.

 

 

Now, he could only wonder if this was some sort of cruel punishment for staying in the Central City for so long.

 

 

He knew, when he started upon his journey that he might not make it to the end. But he did NOT expect for it to end half-way through.

Now, he was leaning against one of the trees while hacking up a lung with his bot trying desperately to comfort him.

 

 

He couldn't help but smile bitterly while staring at the sky with fuschia blood coating his entire jaw while it was still flowing out of his mouth.

 

 

His only regret: not saying "Thank you" when he had the chance.

 

 

Out of all the population of Central City, he will miss Guardian the most.

 

 

He will miss his only friend in this entire goddamn city.

 

 

Hah, his **only** friend...

 

 

He... really was...... Pa.......the...... tic

**Author's Note:**

> Oh okay. I didn't plan this. I meant to write somewhat short fic about Drifter remembering his journey through the land while dying in the west zone from his illness.
> 
> In the end I write what smells like a headcanon (I'm not sure if it's gonna truly become my headcanon) for Drifters species and how he got to the begining area, along with a headcanon for why he doesn't speak. Well, he could speak but it's just not shown in the game.
> 
> In the end, theres probably a lot of headcacons. And I didn't even plan any of this.


End file.
